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4/20/18 1 1 Engaging Today’s Families A Relationship-Based Approach Gene Roehlkepartain Vice President, Research and Development [email protected] April 20, 2018 2 Discovering What Kids Need to Succeed Our Focus Bridging research and practice to help young people be and become their best selves. Our Core Capacities • Mixed-methods research • Research-based innovations and tools • Partner for continuous learning and improvement www.searchinstitute.org

Engaging Today’s Families - schd.ws Families.pdf · 6 11 REFRAMING FAMILY ... Childhood Early Elementary Late Elementary Middle School High School Post High School ... Milestones

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4/20/18

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EngagingToday’sFamiliesARelationship-BasedApproachGeneRoehlkepartain

VicePresident,ResearchandDevelopment

[email protected]

April20,2018

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DiscoveringWhatKidsNeedtoSucceed

OurFocus

Bridgingresearchandpracticetohelpyoungpeoplebeandbecometheirbestselves.

OurCoreCapacities

•Mixed-methodsresearch•Research-basedinnovationsandtools

•Partnerforcontinuouslearningandimprovement

www.searchinstitute.org

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•  25+yearsofstudyingyoungpeople’sstrengthsandsupports(DevelopmentalAssets)

•  Aburgeoningliteratureonrelationships

•  A50-yearlegacyofresearchonfamilystrengths–  FamilyAssetsstudy[2012]

–  Don’tForgettheFamilies[2015]

Our(Research)StartingPoints

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NothingHasMoreImpact

“Afterdecadesofforminghypotheses,conductingsurveys,craftingandrewritingdefinitions,analyzingdata,andwritingjournalarticles,SearchInstituteresearchersandpractitionershavearrivedatasurprisinglysimpleconclusion:nothing—nothing—hasmoreimpactinthelifeofachildthanpositiverelationships.”

PeterL.Benson,PhDCreatoroftheDevelopmentalAssetsFramework

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TheFlowoftheDay

•  ReframingtheChallengesofEngagingFamilies

•  SevenShiftsforEngagingFamilies

•  KeepConnected:PuttingtheShiftsintoPractice

Prototypesite,Georgetown,TX

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SOMECHALLENGESINENGAGINGFAMILIES

Prototypesite,Washington,DC

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PersonalReflection

CHALLENGEWhat can be particularly hard about engaging families (1-2 things)?

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WhyItCanBeHardtoEngage

•  Practical:Time,schedule,transportation

•  Attitudes&expectations– Embarrassment,senseoffailure,competition

– Perceivedstigma:Beingjudged,labeled,diagnosed

– Blame:Kids’problemsaretheirparents’fault

– LossofprivacyandfearofconsequencesSee:Mytton,J.,Ingram,J.,Manns,S.,&Thomas,J.(2014).Facilitatorsandbarrierstoengagementinparentingprograms:Aqualitativesystematicreview.HealthEducation&Behavior,41(2),127-137.

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WhyItCanBeHardtoEngage

•  Institutional– Lackoftrustinsponsoringorganization– Participation:Punitive,mandated

See:Mytton,J.,Ingram,J.,Manns,S.,&Thomas,J.(2014).Facilitatorsandbarrierstoengagementinparentingprograms:Aqualitativesystematicreview.HealthEducation&Behavior,41(2),127-137.

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Who’sReally“HardtoReach”

“[Thereisa]fundamentaldisconnectbetweenwhatisdesignedandofferedandwhatfamilieswantandneed....Inotherwords,itisourinstitutionsandtheprograms,practices,andpoliciesthatschoolpersonneldesignthatare‘hardtoreach,’notthefamilies.”

Mapp,K.L.,&Hong,S.(2010).Debunkingthemythofthehard-to-reachparent.InS.L.Christenson&A.L.Reschly(Eds.),Handbookofschool-familypartnerships(pp.345–360).NewYork,NY:Routledge.

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REFRAMINGFAMILYENGAGEMENT:7SHIFTS

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FollowingAlong

Aseachshiftisintroduced...

•  What’sthe“default”mindsetyouseeinyourorganization?

•  Giveoverall“rating”•  Jotexamples,ifyouhavethem

•  Tallythegroup’sresultsaftereachshift

Note:“Emphasis,”not“either/or”

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#1:TowardFamilyStrengths&Resilience

Deficits,Risks Strengths,Resilience

“Moststudies...tendedtodismissthefamilyas

hopelesslydysfunctionalandtoseekpositive

extrafamilialresourcestocounterthe

negativeimpact.Thus,familieswere

seentocontributetorisk,but

nottoresilience.”—FromaWalsh

Walsh,F.(2006).Strengtheningfamilyresilience(2ndedition).NewYork:Guilford.

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ANarrativeofFamiliesinCrisis

•  Structureandplaceinsociety=destiny

•  Risks,deficits,dysfunction

•  It’sprivate—notmyjob

•  We(professionals)knowwhattheyneedtodo

•  Workaround,compensate

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CompetingNarrativesaboutFamilies

WhatWeHear•  64%ofparentssay

familieshavedeclined

Today’sfamiliesare

reallymessedup.

WhatWeExperience•  75%ofadultsareverysatisfied

withtheirownfamily

Nothingismoreimportantto

methanmyfamily.

InSummary

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Adaptability:ACoreFamilyStrength

“Familiesstillmattergreatly,andfamiliescananddotendtoperformwellthosefunctionsthatareparticularlyrelevanttothelivesofchildren,evenindifferentsocialandhistoricalcontexts,householdarrangements,andlivingconditions.” Bengston,V.L.,Biblarz,T.J.,&Roberts,R.E.L.(2002).Howfamiliesstillmatter:Alongitudinal

studyofyouthintwogenerations.Cambridge,UK:CambridgeUniversityPress.

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ShiftingfromRiskstoStrengths

•  AllfamilieshavestrengthsANDchallenges–  Botharewelcomed– Avoidsthe“experttrap”–  Levelstheconversationamongfamilies

•  Startingwithstrengths–  Tapsstrengthsasaresourceforgrowth–  Buildsself-efficacy,confidence–  Buildstrust(totacklechallengestogether)

•  Transitions:Notapointofembarrassmentorshame

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Shift#2:BuildRelationshipswithFamilies

RecruitFamilies BuildRelationships

Dowestartwith?

•  “Weknowthingsyouneedtoknow”

•  “Ifparentswouldjust...”

•  “Whatdoyouneedorworryaboutsowecan‘programto’it?”

Whatifwestartedwith...?

•  “Inviting”familiestobepart

•  Whatareyourhopes,dreams,struggles,gifts?Whatislifelikeforyou?

•  Howmightwelearnfromeachother,telleachotherourstories?

IS“RECRUIT”THERIGHTWORD?

toenlistformilitaryservice;tofurnishorreplenishwithafreshsupply;toattempttoenrollorenlist.

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•  Connectstheexperiencetothefamily’sspecificgoals,worries,priorities

•  Istrusted,warm,encouraging

•  Willbetheretowelcome

Boostconfidencewitha“warmhand-off”

•  “I’llfitin”•  “Iwon’tlook

stupid”•  “Ihavesomething

tocontribute”•  “Iwon’tbe

pressuredtodosomethingelse”

Nothingismorepowerfulthanapersonalinvitationfromsomeonewho...

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ShiftingfromRecruitingtoInviting

•  Listen

•  Buildtrust

•  Beclearaboutwhattoexpect

•  Workwithtrustedallies

•  Buildconnections

•  Reinforcewithcommunicationtools

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#3:FocusingonFamilies’Priorities

Howwelldoourgoalscomplement—orconflictwith—families’priorities,needs,andhopes?

OurAgenda TheirAgenda

What are major

reasons you want to

engage families?

What are families’ goals, priorities, needs,

or hopes?

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HowDoYouGettoKnowFamilies’Priorities?

Remembertheshiftfromrecruitmenttoinvitation.

•  Talkless...Listenmore

•  Gettoknowthem

•  Spendtimeintheirworld

•  Walkalongsidethem

•  Buildtrustwiththem

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PrioritiesthatSurfaceinKeepConnected

Parentsofyoungadolescents...

•  Worryabout“losingmychild”orlosinginfluencewhentheybecomeateen

•  Apriority:Tostayconnected,evenaskidsbecomemoreindependent

FamilyPledgetoKeepConnected

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EngagingWithWhatMatterstoFamilies

HiddenalignmentOurpremise:Families’greatestcontributionstoyourprogram,school,ororganization’sgoalsforchildrenandyouthliesinbeingasstrongandresilientafamilyasitcanbe.

Ifthat’strue,whatdoesitmeanforwhyandhowyouseektoengagefamilies?

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#4:FamilyRelationships

ParentingSkills FamilyRelationships

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WhenRelationshipsAreStrong*

Youngpeoplearemorelikelyto...•  Payattention•  Disclose•  Seekhelp

*Highmutualbondandtrust

Parentingadultsaremorelikelyto...•  Investtime,energy•  Haveinfluence•  Avoidharshresponses

•  Advocate•  Stayengaged

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Surveys

Theory&LiteratureReview

FocusGroups

SecondaryAnalysis

InvestigatingRelationships

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FiveElementsofDevelopmentalRelationships

ChallengeGrowth

ExpressCare

ProvideSupport

SharePower ExpandPossibilities

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RelativeStrengthsinRelationships

4.02

3.73

3.45 3.42 3.40

ParentingAdults Friends ProgramLeaders Siblings Teachers

N=25,395students,grades6–12

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86% 87%

67% 68%

55%

45%

53%

40%

51%

31%

ExpressCare ChallengeGrowth

ProvideSupport SharePower ExpandPossibilities

Parents Siblings

Friends Teachers

ProgramLeaders

AWebofDevelopmentalRelationships

N=25,395students,grades6–12

Friends

Teachers

Parents

Teachers

Parents

Siblings

Parents

Siblings

Parents

Teachers

HI

LOW

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Numberof“Strong”Relationships

22%

18%

16%

15%

12%

16%

Relationshipsareconsidered“strong”whenyoungpeopleexperiencethe5elementsofdevelopmentalrelationships,onaverage,oftenorveryoften.

NoneStrong

1Strong

2Strong

3Strong

4Strong

5Strong

28%

40%

N=25,395students,grades6–12

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FiveElements:Parents

88%

73%

79%

57%

38%

ExpressCare

ChallengeGrowth

ProvideSupport

SharePower

ExpandPossibilities

ParentswithYouth,9-18(n=671,2017)

FROM:ASnapshotofDevelopmentalRelationshipsBetweenParents

andYouth(2017).www.searchinstitute.org/families/

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FiveElements,byRace/Ethnicity

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Care Challenge Support Power Possibilities

ParentswithChildren,9-18(n=671;collectedin2017)

Black White

Latino Other

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CharacterStrengths

PredictingSocial-EmotionalStrengths

DevelopmentalRelationships

Demographics

Thequalityofparent-childrelationshipsis10timesmorepowerfulthandemographics*inpredictingwhetherchildrenaredevelopingcriticalsocial-emotionalstrengthstheyneedforsuccessinlife.

*Includesage,gender,race-ethnicity,immigrationstatus,andfinancialstrain

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ISastructuredopportunityforparentsandyouthtoreflectonandpractice

howtobemoreintentionalintheirfamily

relationships

ISNOTaparentingprogramthatteaches

parentingskills

“Itwasjustanicewaytopauseandthinkthroughsomethingsaboutyourrelationshipsthatyouprobablynever

bothertodo.”

-Parent,Austin,MN

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AFamilyRelationshipsChecklist

•  Completethisonyourownforyourownfamily(asyouwoulddefineit).

•  Withoneotherpersonnearby:

– What,ifanything,surprisedyou?

– Howdoyouthinkfamiliesyouknowwouldrespondtotheseideas?

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#5:ParentingDoesn’tStopat6

EarlyChildhood ThroughTransitions

EarlyChildhood

EarlyElementary

LateElementary

MiddleSchool

HighSchool

PostHighSchool

CommunityorFamilyTragedy

FamilyChange

NewSibling

StartDriving

Religious/Cultural

Milestones

Moving

NewJob

AndManyMore

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AFacebookPleafromaParent

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DisconnectingintheTeenYears

(Formostitems,youthrateeach5ona5-pointscale,e.g.,stronglyagree.Parentinvolvementinschoolisascalebasedonseveralitemsbasedonyouthperspectives.)

46%

20%

50%

32%

61%

36%

72%

45%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12thGradeLevel

Parentinvolvedinschooling

Getalongwithparents

Parentshelpandsupport

Parentssaytheyloveme

SearchInstitutesurveysduringthe2014-2015schoolyearof122,269U.S.youthingrades6to12.

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“Beingabletocontinuethatmomentumforhealthy,stronghabitsatthemiddleschoolageandhopefullybuildfoundationsthatwillcarryintohighschoolisjustcriticallyimportant.There’sabiggapthere.It’samissingservice.”

–KeepConnectedfacilitator

Prototypesite,Pottstown,PA

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#6:ConnectedCommunities

OntheirOwn ConnectedCommunities

“Socialpoverty—socialisolationandalackofeasyaccesstohelp—hadbecomerampant,regardlessoffamilies’socioeconomicstatus.Toalargeextent,helphadbecomeacommoditythatpeoplebuy,notwhattheydo.”

—GaryMelton(2010)Melton,G.B.(2010).Angels(andneighbors)watchingoverus:Childsafetyandfamilysupportinanageofalienation.TheAmericanJournalofOrthopsychiatry,80(1),89–95.

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WebofRelationships:SpokesorNetwork?

Central“expert”askeyresource

Community,cultureaskeyresource

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ConnectedCommunitiesinKeepConnected

1 2 3

Familiesbuildtrust,connectionsandasharedfoundation(acrossdifferences)

Familiescometoseeeachotherasfriendsandtrustworthysourcesofadvice

Familieslearnaboutopportunitiesinthe

community(frompeerswhovaluethem)

“Tohearotherparentshavingthesamestruggles…youcanletyourhairdownandlearnfromeachother.”

-Parent,Durham,NC

“Ienjoyedgettingtobeclosertomyfamilyandclosertootherfamilies.”

—Youth

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#7:EmpoweringFamilies

ServingFamilies EmpoweringFamilies

Threealternatewaysofthinkingaboutcommunityconnections:

•  Informalsupportsforfamilies

•  Formalsupportsforfamilies

•  Familycontributionstocommunities

Whichofthesemattersmostforyouthwell-being?

1.Contributions

2.Informal

3.Formal

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LadderofParticipation

Hart,R.A.(1997).Children'sparticipation:Thetheoryandpracticeofinvolvingyoungcitizensincommunitydevelopment

andenvironmentalcare.NewYork,NY:UNICEF.

Whatmightthe“ladderofparticipation”looklikeforengaging,educating,

andempoweringfamilies?

Excessiverewardormandatory

Askedtocome;norealrole

Insignificant(scripted)roles

Invitedforasetrole

Realinputontopics,goals

Leadsetworkshops

Design&leadsharedpriorities

(Adaptation)

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BuildRelationships

TheirAgenda

Strengths,Resilience

FamilyRelationships

ThroughTransitions

ConnectedCommunities

EmpoweringFamilies

Withyourtable...

SelectONEshifttotalkabout.

•  Howmightthisshifthelpengagefamilies?

•  Whenhaveyouseenthisdoneeffectively?

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KEEPCONNECTEDSTRENGTHENINGFAMILIESBYSTRENGTHENINGRELATIONSHIPS

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PilotSites(2016–2017)

YWCA,Pottstown,PA

GeorgetownProjectGeorgetown,TX

I.J.HoltonIntermediateSchoolAustin,MN

CommunitiesinSchoolsDurham,NC

JubileeHousingWashingtonDC

Sixlocalpilotpartners:•  Apublicschool•  Aneducationalsupportprogram•  Alow-incomehousingprogram•  Acommunitycollaboration•  Afamilyserviceorganization•  Acommunity-basedorganization.

TobermanNeighborhoodCenterSanPedro,CA

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WhatItIs •  Foralltypesoffamilies

•  7sessions(90min+dinner)

•  Exploreeach“key”toparent-youthrelationships

•  ParentmaterialsinEnglish&Spanish

•  Activities&practicestouseathome

•  Ledbylocal,trainedfacilitators

Foryouthandparentstogether– Youthsession– Parentsession– Familysession

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SixInteractiveWorkshops(plusgraduation)

1.  ThrivingThroughtheTeenageYears:ThePowerofFamilyRelationships

2.  Care:TheFoundationofRelationships3.  SharePower:EvenWhenIt’sNot

Comfortable

4.  ChallengeGrowthwithoutPushingAway5.  SupportandStretchtoGrow6.  CelebratingYourFamily’sJourneythrough

theTeenYears

7.  FamilyGraduationCeremony

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KeepConnectedComponents

• Trainingforcoordinators,facilitators• Planning,recruitment,retentionstrategies• Facilitatingyouth,parentworkshops

KeepConnectedInstitute

• Effectiveprogramimplementation• Research-basedrecruitmentstrategies•  Ideastoaddresskeychallenges

ImplementationToolkit(online)

• Detailedsessiondesigns(parent,youth,andfamiliestogether)

• Handoutsandothertools

FacilitatorMaterials

• ParentFurther.com• Youthandparentsurveys• Tools,consulting,training

Website,Survey,OtherTools

Facilitator GuideKeep Connected: Engaging Families by Strengthening Relationships

www.parentfurther.com/keepconnected 800-888-7828

www.search-institute.org

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UpcomingOpportunities

•  Webinaronfamilyengagement–  June6(TimeTBD)

•  KeepConnectInstituteforStrengtheningFamilyRelationships–  June18–19,Minneapolis,MN

•  One-dayworkshoponengagingfamiliesthroughdevelopmentalrelationships– August(datesTBD),Richmond,Virginia

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StrengtheningtheWebofRelationships

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StrengtheningtheWebsofRelationships

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StayConnected

•  Presentationmaterialswillbepostedonlineathttp://www.readyby21.org/nmagenda

•  Tweetaboutyoursession!#Rb21

•  FindReadyby21resourcesandopportunitiesatreadyby21.org

•  ContactGene:[email protected]